NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm currently working on my first RP thread game thing and I need help.

The idea is that I want to make a Crime Mystery RP where one forumite is the murderer and the rest are detectives on his trail.

I don't really fully understand the forum RP games yet, but I can tell the basic concept of what I had in mind.

The detectives are all after the killer of a wealthy businessman and his baseball team manager wife, who died of several gunshot wounds on the night of October 17 in their home at 38 Lacelet Drive. The killer is currently hopping from one hiding spot to the next, trying to find any evidence against him and destroy it. The detectives have to deal with the media, the killer's family who may be hiding him and some of his mafia connections. If one of them finds enough evidence, they can then try to arrest the killer once they find him. They also have NPCs to question, fight and interorgate for evidence or for their lives, such as witnesses, the media, the killer's girlfriend, mafia thugs, etc.

The game is played out over "days" in which each player get 10 "actions" to do. Every "day", players earn points towards winning the game. The killer's goal is to earn 20 "escape" points through destroying evidence and hurting and/or killing the detectives. Then the game ends and is won by the killer, because the police have not enough evidence to convict him and are too scared for their lives. A detective wins if he/she manages to earn 5 "evidence" points and then finds and arrests the killer successfully or kills the killer via combat after earning 10 "evidence" points. If a detective kills the killer with less than 10 "evidence" points, the game is declared a loss for everyone. You earn points through certain actions.

When a detective player earns "evidence" points, he/she may say what the evidence is and how it points to the killer being guilty. This can be proof of motive (notes or diaries talking of money, love, revenge, whatever), means (registration for the gun or whatever) and oppertunity (a timetable or surveillance video) or DNA (hairs, blood, whatever).

If the killer kills a detective or successfully destroys evidence, the player may explain how (putting it in a furrance, etc.).

The "actions" you get include:

--going to a place such as the crime scene, the killer's girlfriend's house, the killer's brother's bar, etc. For detectives: random chance of combat with NPC mafia thug henchmen, friend of the killer's family, etc whenever you go there. [Travelling to certain places will not count as one of the 10 actions you get each day.]

--For detectives: interview someone at place you went to. Random chance of earning evidence points and small random chance of earning 2 points (more info).

--For killer: search for evidence and destroy it. Points recieved for successful action. Random chance of finding weapons and items.

--For detective: search scene. If killer is in same location, small chance of discovering him-->choice: enter combat against him or try to arrest him. Chance of earning points (finding evidence). Trying to arrest him has better chance of success if he is low on HP, if you have more than 5 points, etc. Random chance of finding weapons and items.

--For detective: check around police station. Random chance of getting items such as ammo (talking to weapons locker man, using vending machines, etc.).

Starting

All players start out with 50 HP (this is max HP). You lose HP in combat. Detectives start with a Colt 1911 (7 shots), 2 Donuts and two clips in invertory. Killer starts with Colt 1911 (3 shots [4 used in murder]), knife and lighter (3 uses). You may choose one skill for your character as well ,such as better accuracy with a certain weapon or better chances at searching, etc.

Items

Donut: Replenish 5 HP.
First Aid Kit: Replenish 10 HP.
Ammo: each one 7 more shots for gun. Each reload costs 1 action.
Lighter: killer can use this to burn evidence, costs 1 action to use, 3 uses before being discarded.

Weapons

Lead pipe: deals 5 damage in combat. Medium chance of hitting.
Knife: deals 6 damage in combat. Below average chance of hitting.
Gun (Colt 1911): deals 10 damage in combat. 7 shots to a clip. Below average chance of hitting.
Fist: deals 4 damage in combat. Above average chance of hitting. All players can use this by default.
Letter opener: deals 5 damage in combat. Very low chance of hitting, but has average chance of dealing double damage in combat on successful hit.

What I don't know is how to work out chances in combat, talking, etc. I got no system for that. Soemone help me out here, please.

Any comments, suggestions, thoughts, etc. are welcome. All suggested features, weapons, items, etc. are open to me.

Thanks in advance.

Yum...donuts...

Seriously, however, you could always use dice or coin flips; as for the gun, since it's a .45 caliber gun, it should take someone down. You might want to give the murderer a different gun, such as maybe a 9mm pistol or some sort of revolver. Also, have food available other than donuts, and allow people to go to restaurants. Otherwise, I don't know. Still, nice!

Yum...donuts...

Seriously, however, you could always use dice or coin flips; as for the gun, since it's a .45 caliber gun, it should take someone down. You might want to give the murderer a different gun, such as maybe a 9mm pistol or some sort of revolver. Also, have food available other than donuts, and allow people to go to restaurants. Otherwise, I don't know. Still, nice!

Problem with that is that a player could cheat and just say he rolled a good roll or flipped heads or whatever. We need a system that is in the mods' hands so they can't swindle their chances.

EDIT: Also, players can have descriptions and bios of their characters when they start the game. The detective bios can tell why the character became a cop, why they took on this case, their families and their values and such. Also, mention some detail about "why" they have their special skill, e.g. a character with better fist damage was once a boxer, or a character with better chances at interorgating people is a naturally gifted speaker and debater. The bio for the killer cannot have the details of the murder (motive, oppertunity, etc.) in it, we will develop those details through detectives finding evidence (detective characters can make up their own details and reasons relating to the murder, so to speak).

I'm sorry if I didn't make myself clear. The moderators would be flipping the coins or rolling the die. You may need a neutral moderator controlling only the NPCs...

I'm sorry if I didn't make myself clear. The moderators would be flipping the coins or rolling the die. You may need a neutral moderator controlling only the NPCs...

The NPCs will be more like the "roll the die to escape the boulder" situations of D&D and like the random encounters in FF.

EDIT/ADD: E.G. You try to question the killer's girlfriend (1 action).

Success (great) "You put on a hard face and through careful manipulation, you extract the whereabouts of the suspect three hours before the murder: 2 blocks from the victims' house. That may contradict an albi later on. You note it down. Through a few veiled threats on her puppy dog, you get her to also spill the beans on the suspect's dealing with the victims: he got screwed over in a real estate deal 5 months ago by one of the victims. Sounds like a motive." You gain 2 evidence points.

Success (Normal) "You put on a hard face and through careful manipulation, you extract the whereabouts of the suspect three hours before the murder: 2 blocks from the victims' house. That may contradict an albi later on. You note it down." You gain 1 evidence point.

Failure: "Her obvious drug habit and strange advances towards you put you off during the questioning. She rabbles on and on about your beautiful blue eyes when you press her for the suspect's location. Eventually, you give up, but not before you tell her your eyes are hazel." Questioning failed.

I can't put in another gun, cause then I'd have to put in ammo for it as well, thus complicating the process needlessly.

Bump.

Bump again.